Changing the broom
by moonbird
Summary: One shoot: post regeneration tale between Peri and the newly regenerated sixth doctor.


Peri walked back and forth in her bedroom, she stubbornly suppressed her tears that were the outcome of all the confusion and shock she had been object to doing the last day.

How could he? How could he do this to her!? How could he change into such a…. such a monster!? No, not monster, she wouldn't think that. he told her that he wouldn't hurt her, and she had only seen blunt honesty in his eyes at that moment as he said that, and then confusion… even regret.. he.. he had even been shocked, even directly scared by his new reflection. How must it be.. to be scared like that by one's own reflection? A reflection that you don't even know anymore?

But how can that be, he is still the same? Or is he? His personality has changed, his voice has changed, he is higher and broader over the chest, probably stronger to. And those eyes, how ironic are it that they have the exactly same blue color? And yet, before they seemed warm and alive, as a Caribbean ocean, so pleasant and relaxing that you would fell like jumping right in, and these eyes seemed cold and dead, as an iceberg in the centre of the northern pole, though with a hidden twince of madness about them, and as in a ridicules attempt to hide that coldness, he had splashed himself in colors, just to show off how different he and magnificent he was, it all seemed so pretentious. He was nothing like the doctor Peri knew, and had come to admire as a dear friend and tutor.

She kept pacing back and forth as her mind kept wandering, and what was that with all the names he kept calling her? he kept mistaking her for other persons, persons she had never heard of ever before. probably people he had known, but had never bothered to talk about, was it because he was ashamed of them? was he just didn't care for people he had left behind? or was it maybe... that it was to hurtful? the questions bubbled up inside of Peri until she felt like she was going to burst.

Who was Susan? Who was Leela? Who was Brigadier and how annoying is it to be mistaken for a man? The simplest facts kept eluding the doctor and it was so obvious, but he was total oblivion towards the problem, a mistake her old doctor would never have made, he would have listened to her, then consider the situation carefully, and take any necessary precautions, even if it was only to please her. he would perhaps have complained a bit, and been a bit rude, but in the end of the day, he would have done whatever necessary to make her feel safe.

No, no no no. There was no way at all this was the same man!

Deep down in Peri's mind a decision had just been taken, she had decided to go home, go to the doctor and ask to be send home, there was no way she could do any more of this!

As the decision had been made, her mind seemed to had become clear, she didn't feel the need to cry anymore. She felt strong and sure. The Doctor could go to hell for all she cared, She was going home!

With sure strong steps Peri marched for the door, and ripped it open. She strolled quickly with sure steps down to the main control room.. the doctor was not there.. yet, that awful looking coat was casually thrown on the floor, suddenly unsure Peri went to the coat, and carefully picked it up, she tugged it to her chest, not so sure anymore.

A great thud sounded from the hallway she had just come from. And another thud, and another.

"thud, thud, thud, thud" in a steady rhythm, as if somebody was banging something against a wall. Startled Peri ran towards the noise, as she came into the hallway she turned left where she clearly heard the noise coming from, opened a door and shocked found herself in a bed room, the doctors personal bedroom was her guess.

It was a mess, everything had been thrown around, a long scarf hang from the ceiling and she was almost stepping on a flute, books was laying everywhere, the bed covers thrown away from the bed, and in the far corner of the room, sitting against the wall, banging his head backwards against the wall in that monotone rhythm was the doctor.

Scared Peri ran to his side as she grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

"DOCTOR DOCTOR SNAP OUT OF IT!" she yelled as she tried to pull him away from the wall.

Deranged and confused the doctor looked at Peri, as a wide smile suddenly spread across his face, and he widened his eyes so they were almost popping out. "Oh hallo Romana" he said. "How nice of you to drop by"

Peri shook him again. "I don't know any Romana, I'm Peri"

"Peri?" the doctor looked confused at her. "oh" suddenly he looked so much like the doctor Peri knew, the lost confused expression when things went wrong. Exactly the same. "So you are" he said. "I'm sorry" he added as an afterthought as he looked out in the room, exactly as her doctor often would.

Then he snapped back as he looked disapproving even distastefully at Peri.

"What are you doing here" he snapped at her. "This is my room" he shook her away.

"You were hurting yourself" Peri pleaded with himself. "I just couldn't let you keep on doing it."

"Oh nonsense" the Doctor snorted. "Why would such an intelligent being as myself hurt myself, that is just plain silly" and then his eyes suddenly widened again. "All though… there is no telling what I might do" he fought himself up on his legs, only to start staling around the room in a nervous manner, shaking and beating. "Regenerations have gone wrong before, but not like this.. not like this."

"Doctor" Peri looked frightened at him. "What are you talking about?"

He turned to her as he looked her directly in her eyes. "my regeneration Peri" he tried to explanation. "Something is terribly wrong, it's not uncomment that you change a little, but this.. I could have seriously hurt you.. and not only could I.. I wanted to Peri… I wanted to hurt you."

Peri took scared a steep away from him as she tried to catch a breath.. "but…" she tried. "But you don't want to now?" she said. "then it's all okay."

"No no no no" The doctor shook his head as he turned towards the wall again, and smashed is head in to it.

Frightened Peri forgot all her fears and jumped to his aid to quickly pull him away. "Doctor!" she exclaimed.

"Oh I'm sorry" the doctor said again, again in that total same manner as her own doctor. it was almost like a deja vu "Did I startle you?" he asked gently.

"Yeas you did!" Peri replied madly. "Now sit down and explain to me what is happening" she commanded pointing at his messy bed.

"I am suffering from post-regeneration trauma" The doctor said tiredly as he dropped down on his bed as commanded, honestly surprising Peri, as the Doctor, neither the old one nor this one ever took commands. "Suffering from amnesia, swapping between past personalities.. and.. Peri I'm scared." He suddenly told her.

Still scared, but with a great need for just being there for this clearly suffering human being Peri took a deep breath and sat down beside him. "why?" she asked silently.

"Because something is terribly wrong with this regeneration.. the personality hasn't settled yet.. I am swapping in between personalities which is probably why I can even tell you this.. That personality.. he wanted to hurt people, he wanted to proof that he was better than anyone else.. he wanted to be all powerful.. I never wanted any of that before.. and then I suddenly did.. I am afraid what I am turning into." He explained as he looked out in the room. "Why am I even telling you this?" he suddenly said annoyed. Quickly he stood up. "I am a time lord, a race far superior to any human, and not just any time lord." He turned around and looked Peri in the eyes. "Probably the most powerful time lord in the universe, I am never scared." He said full of confidence and totally sure of himself, though suddenly he seemed to sink down, as a balloon which had just been punctuated, losing the arrogant energy that had dominated his personality only one moment ago. "Oh Peri.. What am I turning into this time." He asked of her.

Peri stood up, no longer afraid, as she stood directly in front of him, first she took the coat she had dropped on the floor while running to the doctors aid, and wrapped it around him, before she reached out and held his chin. "You are not turning into anything." She told him. "You will still be the Doctor, and no one else, and you would never hurt anyone, even though you act a bit arrogant sometimes, but that's nothing new."

That made the doctor chuckle a bit, as he at last turned serious, and putted his hands on the wrist of the hand Peri was using to hold the Doctor's chin. "Thank you Peri." He said sincerely. "Can you do something for me?" he then asked.

"Sure" Peri promised him. "Anything you like."

"please stop me if I am ever to do something you think I will regret, this personality is very unstable, and I don't want to hurt anyone unless it is absolutely necessary." He looked pleading at Peri with the most sincere expression Peri had ever seen from him, this or his last regeneration.

"Sure." She smiled. "I am not going anywhere." She promised. "I'll watch out for you as long as you need me."

The doctor let out a deep breath as he sighed, and Peri dropped her hand from his chin. "thank you" he sighed.


End file.
